Archive for October 2011

Back in 1928 the Supreme Court, in Olmstead v. United States, upheld a decision that was not only a boneheaded travesty at the time, but has some pretty horrifying implications for today, in a time of social unrest against a corrupted and lawless government. In his sadly prescient dissenting opinion, Justice Brandeis wrote: (emphases mine) [...]

Posted on October 27, 2011, 6:20 pm, by cocktailhag, under Going Galt, WTF?.

Well, if this whole 99% thing has accomplished anything worthwhile, it’s shown the world that Republicans are, truly, only on the side of the 1%, and they’re no longer the least bit shy about saying so. Gone are they days of sending $200 checks to the hoi polloi to soften the blow of such wanton [...]

I’ve always had a particular loathing for Andrew Sullivan, at least partly because he reminded me, with everything he said, of all the self-hating gay Republicans (and they were shockingly and disappointingly numerous) I met and summarily dumped during my peak tart years. I’ve heard each such drearily unthinking arguments countless times before from someone [...]

Dunno … I’m suddenly concerned that OWS risks descending into parody (Is my guitar tuned?) … http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/22/pete-seeger-signs-at-occupy-columbus-circle/ Earlier in the week, further uptown in New York, Brutus seemed to appear … http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/21/cornel-west-arrested-for-protesting-stop-and-frisk-in-new-york-city/ Hey, those clowns in the tricorn hats brandishing guns in their britches at public meetings are absurd too (and obviously more dangerous since [...]

Posted on October 21, 2011, 5:53 pm, by cocktailhag, under Golden Oldies.

Since I can’t find anything remotely funny to write about today, I thought I’d revert to that old standby, my crazy Grandmother, Etta. As I’ve mentioned before, my brothers and I got into phone-tapping and bugging for entertainment purposes in a very big way an the aftermath of Watergate, so much so that one of [...]

Well, it seems that Goldman Sachs, whose stock has lost 43% of its value since 2010 and has reported its first-ever quarterly loss, still has its priorities; mainly, stealing from everybody so a few guys can stuff their pockets with millions. Granted, they did pay a $500 million fine for defrauding investors, lost money in [...]

Although I’ve made a career of convincing others to spend a lot of money on nice floors, I have seldom had the luxury to do so on my own, and have thus developed a few alternatives, all of which involve, sadly, a whole lot of labor. CHNN World Headquarters was built in 1950, with about [...]

Posted on October 14, 2011, 3:11 pm, by cocktailhag, under News Network.

Turns out, once again, that inheriting billions isn’t the best thing for either a gal’s character, or her looks…… The daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton spent the final hours of her birthday in jail Friday night after being arrested for drunk driving. Right now, I’m so proud of myself not only for sticking to [...]

Please call 212-NEW-YORK (212-639-9675), and tell Mayor Bloomberg not to interfere with Occupy Wall Street tomorrow. Residents of New York City can call 311. (H/T DailyKos) UPDATE: (Friday) Occupy Wall Street will remain in Zuccotti Park. Admittedly, it’s happened a little later than I expected, but it appears that over the next few days, the [...]

That didn’t take long. Perennial austerity advocate Robert J. Samuelson over at the WaPoo frets about the poor little feelings of America’s rich, in these troubled times: There are many theories about why inequality has increased, though no consensus: New technologies reward the highly skilled; globalization depresses factory wages; eroded union power does the same; [...]